75 dart sport as daily driver?

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cinimod2

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I turn 16 soon and me and my dad were looking for a nice project car that doesnt need too much work done to it. So I looked on craigslist and found a 1975 dodge dart, it was repainted viper blue and the engine was rebuilt recently. We went to go check it out and it seemed like a pretty nice car for what the guy was asking for it.

I was wondering what you think about using it as a daily driver?

This is the same exact car my dad drove in highschool and i think it would be awsome to be able to drive the same car he did but I just dont think it will be relibale.
 
welcome and the dart would be a good driver good on gas easy to work on.I drove one wen I was yonger evry day never let me set....Artie
 
why not? as long as it passes inspection and drives good then go for it. only difference is that you might need to tinker on it a little bit more than a newer car, but thats half the fun.
 
There was a time for me when none of my care were fuel injected or newer than 30 years old. If you can deal with the warm-up time of a carburetor, and not-so-great MPG, IMO there's no reason that it would be any less reliable than a newer, EFI car. At least the 75 Dart should have shoulder belts and disk brakes. Just be sure to pack a ballast resistor and a voltage regulator in your tool kit! :laughing:

I've been driving my 64 Dart and 68 Chrysler 300 daily for the last couple of weeks!:thumrigh:
 
cinimod2 said:
I turn 16 soon and me and my dad were looking for a nice project car that doesnt need too much work done to it. So I looked on craigslist and found a 1975 dodge dart, it was repainted viper blue and the engine was rebuilt recently. We went to go check it out and it seemed like a pretty nice car for what the guy was asking for it.

I was wondering what you think about using it as a daily driver?

This is the same exact car my dad drove in highschool and i think it would be awsome to be able to drive the same car he did but I just dont think it will be relibale.
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What engine and tranny does it have? If it has the small 7 1/4 rear, it will blow up if you romp on it too many times. If it has a V8, it should have disc brakes. As for reliability, lets put it this way. I have a 65 Valiant, 273 auto, which I daily drive. With normal maintenance, it has givin me no problems, has lots of power, and is pretty good on fuel. I had a 96 Ford pickup, 302 5 speed, 4x4, and it gave me a problem every week. Newer doesn't always mean reliable. And just think, how much more fun would you have driving a sweet old car compared to a Honda.
 
It's old and and can have unseen issues that may or may not leed to a brake down. While parts are realitivly inexpensive, you may have to wait on there delivery. Once the bugs are worked out, the cars make good daily drivers, but they do have there cave eats.

IMO, it would be better to have a modern car of not more than a few years old as a daliy driver and the MoPar as a fun weekender. I have run my '79 Magnum as a daily driver for many years. When things got bad, it sat for a bit waiting on parts to arrive that may not be at your local auto parts store.

The worst time was when I drove in the snow, slide sideways into a high curb and bent the lower control arm. It took about 2 weeks to locate one that came from Washington state. I live in New York.
 
the biggest problem for a 16 year old is going to be $4 + a gallon gas and money/know how when it comes to repairs.

i have a dart sport for my boy here. he just got his permit. i'm second guessing him driving it now because he will never be able to afford to keep gas in it.
 
Good point Jowe. Even if the car is hwy. driven and well tuned up for best mileage. The old cars are looking at about 20/22 mpg's, which is real good for them, but pale by compare to what is out there now.

My wifes 99 Taurus gets 32 Hwy and high 20's around town while hauling the family in it.
 
rumblefish360 said:
Good point Jowe. Even if the car is hwy. driven and well tuned up for best mileage. The old cars are looking at about 20/22 mpg's, which is real good for them, but pale by compare to what is out there now.

My wifes 99 Taurus gets 32 Hwy and high 20's around town while hauling the family in it.
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yea it sucks for the kids these days. when i started driving $5 of gas would damn near fill the 22 gallon tank in my big old pontiac...lol


all i have to do is tune the slantty, run a few new fuel and brake lines and put front pans in the car and it would be a nice driver but no way he can afford gas in the damn thing. i have all new brakes,rotors,hoses,bearings for the damn thing sitting here ready to go on. i may just end up selling the damn thing..
 
It's got the /6 in it?

As long as it is running well, do the basic bolt on's and open up the exhaust. The /6 should respond well with a MSD ignition and opened up exhaust. Not saying fart pipe, just a better exhaust. Bigger diameter pipe and better muffler? Pay attention to the distributors timing.
 
I say go for it. Nothing better for a 16yo kid than the responsibility of caring for and maintaining an older vehicle. I drove muscle cars from the time I turned 16 until I was almost 22 as my primary daily drivers. I am now only 29 and I can say that some of my best memories are in those cars and I probably learned more about cars by driving those than I ever would have in some classroom or by driving some new foreign or domestic car with a warranty.
 
Id say go for it as well. Nothing cooler than showing up to school in an old mopar when everyone else has the same ol new truck. Who wants to be the same as everyone else, not me. Plus when the ladies see you showing up in a 75 Dart they will all want a ride.

But gas is high and as long as your easy on the gas pedal then the gas pump will be easy on you
 
73DartSport said:
I say go for it. Nothing better for a 16yo kid than the responsibility of caring for and maintaining an older vehicle. I drove muscle cars from the time I turned 16 until I was almost 22 as my primary daily drivers. I am now only 29 and I can say that some of my best memories are in those cars and I probably learned more about cars by driving those than I ever would have in some classroom or by driving some new foreign or domestic car with a warranty.
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Well said.

If it's a /6 car. And be sure your eagerness doesn't keep you from thoroughly checking out this car. In your part of the country it could have rust.
 
I'm still daily driving the same slant 6 Duster I got when I was 16. I'll tell you one thing, I've dropped a few thousand into it to get it into daily driver status and that is nothing compared to the thousands and thousands of dollars my friends have put into their "newer" cars....half of which they don't have anymore or aren't even in good shape anyway. You can either get a loan and waste your money on a new car, buy a cheap early 90's beater, or a classic for the same price that looks way better and will teach you a ton when it comes to working on cars.

Make sure your suspension is in good condition and don't buy any cheap parts for the engine. Anything remanufactured or from China is going to make it unreliable. My car was unreliable at first because I didn't know what to buy. I was going through alternators and starters like crazy. Now that I know what to buy, my car is almost as reliable as a new car at only a fraction of the cost.
 
I have used my 340 Dart as a DD before. Gas is the killer but it does better than the V10 F250 I drive now. LOL It did leave me stranded one time though when the pot cupling came out and I lost the steering. Good thing I was pulling up next to the gas pump and going slow. LOL Only thing though and I drove it for 3 years as my only car. I had to it was all I had at the time and no money for a new car.

I am more of the new car for a DD type and old car for fun. But to each there own. Just depends on what you want and what you are willing to put up with. Old cars can have a lot of corks to put up with.
 
I saw that car on craigslist last night looks great always fun to have a mopar as a dailey driver
 
It had a slant 6 in it but the guy replaced it with a 318 auto. im hoping to convert it over to a 4 speed though.
 
cinimod2 said:
It had a slant 6 in it but the guy replaced it with a 318 auto. im hoping to convert it over to a 4 speed though.
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oh boy. better make sure your not buying someone elses headache. go over that car with a fine tooth comb. never know what is missing with an engine swap.
 
I wouldn't. I drove an A-body in high school also, with grand designs on restoring it.

Its going to nickel and dime you to death, and driving it is going to degrade it faster than you can fix it. PLus its impossible to do any projects that have real downtime associated with them when you are relying on the car for work/school/date, etc.

Also, around here, the road salt would eat it up in one winter. And old school rear drive sucks in the snow, especially with the awesome A-body 70/30 weight distribution.

If you want a hot-rod, you need a cheap, reliable front drive good gas mileage car as daily transport. You'll buy it and spend next to nothing on gas, tires, etc. Every dollar you don't put into it goes into the cruiser.

My .02

Steve
 
I have another question. how do i know what transmission will bolt up to the 318 becuase if I were to buy it I want to make sure I can find a manual tranny for becuase Id rather dive stick. I know 4 speeds are kinda hard to find but does anyone know what five speeds will bolt up to it?
 
The engine families use a bell housing design just for them. In other words, you need a small block bell housing for a small block, and a big block bell for a big block, a /6 bell for a /6.

The issue with manual trannys is you'll need one for a "A" body car. Short in length.
Then the 4spd's have 2 front bearing retainer sizes. They should mate without space.
I'm not sure about a 3spd retainer sizes.
 
So if im understanding this correctly i have to get a a-body trans(A833) and put a b-body bell housing on it then mount it in with all conections.
 
No, you need a "A" body trans and a small block bell housing.

Bell housings are not car body issued, but engine issued.

Then just make sure that the bearing retainer fits in the bell housings hole.
 
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